The effect of a colloidal solution of Cu,Zn-nanoparticles on pro-oxidative/antioxidative balance and content of photosynthetic pigments and leaf area of winter wheat plants of steppe (Acveduc) and forest-steppe (Stolichna) ecotypes was investigated in drought conditions. It has been shown that Cu,Zn-nanoparticles decreased the negative effect of drought action upon plants of steppe ecotype Acveduc. In particular, increased activity of antioxidative enzymes reduced the level of accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and stabilized the content of photosynthetic pigments and increased relative water content in leaves. Colloidal solution of Cu,Zn-nanoparticles had less significant influence on these indexes in seedlings of the Stolichna variety under drought.

The use of colloidal solutions of metals as micronutrients enhances plant resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions and ensures high yields of food crops due to the active penetration of nanoelements into the plant cells.Microbiological examination of rhizosphere soil have revealed that combined use of colloidal solution of nanoparticles of molybdenum (CSNM, 8 mg/l), and microbial preparation for pre-sowing inoculation of chickpea seeds stimulates the development of ‘agronomically valuable’ microflora. It was shown that combined seed treatment with colloidal solution of Mo nanoparticles with microbial preparation have stimulated nodule formation per plant by four times compared to controls. Single treatment with CSNM increased the number of nodules by two times, while the treatment of microbial preparation have not significantly affected the number of nodules per plant.PACSColloids, 82.70.Dd; Ecology, 87.23.-n

The paper covers the research of copper and zinc nanoparticle effect on the content of ascorbic acid, and quantitative and qualitative composition of amino acids and acylcarnitines in Pistia stratiotes L. plants. Plant exposition to copper nanoparticles led to the decrease in (1) the amount of ascorbic acid, (2) the total content of amino acids (by 25 %), and (3) the amount of all studied amino acids except for the glycine amino acid. At this, the amount of 5-oxoproline, arginine, leucine, ornithine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, and tyrosine was two times lower than in control plants. The reduction of the contents of 8 out of 12 investigated acylcarnitines (namely C0, C2, C3, C5, C6, C8, C16, C18:1) was observed in plants under the influence of copper nanoparticles. The result of plants incubation with zinc nanoparticles was the decrease in (1) the amount of ascorbic acid, (2) the total content of amino acids (by 15 %), (3) the content of leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, and tyrosine (more than twice), and (4) the content of 10 acylcarnitines (C0, C2, C3, C4, C5, C10, C16, C18, C18:1, C18:2). The observed reduction in amino acid contents may negatively affect plants adaptive reactions associated with de novo synthesis of stress proteins. At the same time, the decrease in the content of acylcarnitines, responsible for fatty acid transportation, may lead to the changes in the activity and direction of lipid metabolism in plants and reduce plant’s ability to use free fatty acids as the oxidation substrate for cell reparation.

Nanoparticles are a known cause of oxidative stress and so induce antistress action. The latter property was the purpose of our study. The effect of two concentrations (120 and 240 mg/l) of nanoform biogenic metal (Ag, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn) colloidal solution on antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and catalase; the level of the factor of the antioxidant state; and the content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) of soybean plant in terms of field experience were studied. It was found that the oxidative processes developed a metal nanoparticle pre-sowing seed treatment variant at a concentration of 120 mg/l, as evidenced by the increase in the content of TBARS in photosynthetic tissues by 12 %. Pre-sowing treatment in a double concentration (240 mg/l) resulted in a decrease in oxidative processes (19 %), and pre-sowing treatment combined with vegetative treatment also contributed to the reduction of TBARS (10 %). Increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was observed in a variant by increasing the content of TBARS; SOD activity was at the control level in two other variants. Catalase activity decreased in all variants. The factor of antioxidant activity was highest (0.3) in a variant with nanoparticle double treatment (pre-sowing and vegetative) at a concentration of 120 mg/l. Thus, the studied nanometal colloidal solution when used in small doses, in a certain time interval, can be considered as a low-level stress factor which according to hormesis principle promoted adaptive response reaction.

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The use of colloidal solutions of metals as micronutrients enhances plant resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions and ensures high yields of food crops. The purpose of the study was a comparative evaluation of presowing treatment with nanomolybdenum and microbiological preparation impact upon the development of adaptive responses in chickpea plants. Oxidative processes did not develop in all variants of the experiment but in variants treated with microbial preparation, and joint action of microbial and nanopreparations even declined, as evidenced by the reduction of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in photosynthetic tissues by 15 %. The activity of superoxide dismutase increased (by 15 %) in variant “nanomolybdenum” and joint action “microbial + nanomolybdenum,” but it decreased by 20 % in variants with microbial preparation treatment. The same dependence was observed in changes of catalase activity. Antioxidant status factor, which takes into account the ratio of antioxidant to pro-oxidant, was the highest in variants with joint action of microbial preparation and nanomolybdenum (0.7), the lowest in variants with microbial treatment only (0.1). Thus, the results show that the action of nanoparticles of molybdenum activated antioxidant enzymes and decreased oxidative processes, thus promoting adaptation of plants.

The content of metal elements in plant tissues of 10-day wheat seedlings after seed pre-treatment and foliar treatment with non-ionic colloidal solution of metal nanoparticles (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn) was determined by an atomic absorption spectrometer. It was shown that metal nanoparticles due to their physical properties (nanoscale and uncharged state) were capable of penetrating rapidly into plant cells and optimizing plant metabolic processes at the early stages of growth and development.

Cadmium ions influence on the content of anthocyanins as non-plastid pigments and the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.24) T he increasing of anthropo-technological load [1] is accompanied with environmental accumulation of cadmium compounds, one of the most common first class toxicity pollutants [2]. This statement necessitates the research of its toxic effect mechanisms on plant organisms and determination of the physiological and biochemical adaptive changes in plant cell metabolism [3,4].Plants resistance ability to the high environmental concentrations of cadmium depends on: plant genotype, stage of development and metal concentration, and it is achieved by activation of the induced resistance mechanisms [5]. The support of antioxidant status appropriate level and plant cell ability to the cadmium ions chelation are considered as one of the main intracellular mechanisms of plant resistance to toxic cadmium effect [6]. Such properties are inhe rent in endogenous low molecular weight phenolic metabolites -anthocyanins that play a significant role in the formation of plant adaptive mechanisms to adverse environmental conditions [6,7]. Anthocyanins are also important low molecular weight component of the plant antioxidant system. They show both direct and indirect antioxidant action associated with chelation of metal ions with variable valence [8]. Therefore, plant organism is characteri zed by the increase of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis intensity under the influence of stress factors, and their accumulation level serves as a nonspecific indicator of plant stability [9,10]. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, L-Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase EC 4.3.1.24) is a regulatory enzyme of the seconda ry metabolism compound biosynthesis that cataly zes the primary reaction of reverse deamination of L-phenylalanine amino acid to the trans-cinnamic acid [11,12]. Therefore the PAL in the plant orga nism can play an extremely important role to run the resistance mechanisms against the toxic effects of stress factors, including cadmium [10,13].It is known that lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and other leafy vegetables being dietary multivitamin daily cultures of human nutrition [14] with a rapid biomass growth could be considered as potential heavy-metal accumulators [15,16]. Despite